5 Reasons Why You’ve Gotta Vote Today. Like, Seriously.

It’s Election Day, and whether or not you feel like voting, we really encourage you to fill out those ballots. The fact the Supreme Court has altered the Voting Rights Act makes things all the more important. Check out these five reasons why voting matters today (and every voting day).

+ Women Fought for the Vote

Does it blow your mind that women have only been able to vote in this whole country for the past 93 years? Yeah, not even a century. Some suffragettes like Susan B. Anthony have become household names, but countless more women dedicated their lives to ensure women could vote just like men. C’mon, ladies, let’s show them what we’re made of!

+ Wars Have Been Fought

Wars have been fought to allow people the right to vote. This is true in America and in other countries. These days some people act all apathetic about voting, but imagine if you weren’t allowed to vote. That is still true for some people, including in America.

+ Youth Vote Makes a Difference

Young people can make their voices heard by voting. The 18-29 voting bloc is actually the largest potential voting bloc in the nation, and it can sway elections. For instance, during the prez election last year, young people preferred President Obama 60 percent to 37 percent, and this was a big reason why Barry Obama won that second term.

+ Some Countries Wouldn’t Let You Vote

If you’re a woman in Saudi Arabia and you felt like voting today, would you be able to? Saudi women are going to be able to vote in 2015, but until then … No, seriously, there are places in the world where people can’t vote, and because of what the Supreme Court did with the Voting Rights Act, there are places in America where it’s being made harder for some citizens to vote.

+ There Are Serious Issues on the Ballot Today

Today, some places don’t have much to vote on, and other places have A LOT. Like, if you’ve got a governor race going on, your vote and your candidate could come into play for things like abortion rights and how the environment is treated. There are also interesting things going on in individual states: like New Yorkers get to vote on casino gambling in NYC. In Washington they’re voting about genetically modified food labeling, and in Colorado there’s talk about taxing marijuana at 25% and using some of the money to build schools. In terms of WTF-ness, some counties are even trying to secede from states because they don’t agree with the states’ pro-legalized marijuana and pro-same-sex union views. There’s a lot going on today, so make sure to get out there and make your vote count!